79. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of drug support workers in County Tipperary; the supports available for young persons with drug addictions in County Tipperary; the steps that will be taken to address the growing drugs crisis in County Tipperary; the measures that his Department is taking to work with An Garda Síochána and other bodies to break the cycle of more young people falling into addiction; the number of people being supported with drug addiction in County Tipperary; the supports available to meet the cost of addiction counselling and rehabilitation; the supports that can be made available to help those who have come through rehabilitation and are facing homelessness, bringing greater risk of falling back into addiction without appropriate housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52630/22] 

Deputy Mattie McGrath: How many drug support workers are there in County Tipperary, what supports are available for young people there, and what actions is the Minister of State taking, along with the Garda, to deal with the growing drug and mental health problems, which are intrinsically linked, in Clonmel and across the rest of Tipperary? 

Deputy Frankie Feighan: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have been to the county, including Clonmel, and seen the great work that the services there are doing. National drug treatment data show that 380 cases were treated for problem drug use in Tipperary in 2021. Of these, 114 were treated for cocaine as the main problem. Separately, there were 294 cases treated for problem alcohol use. Drug services in Tipperary are provided by the HSE, regional drugs and alcohol task forces and section 39-funded community and voluntary groups. I am providing a comprehensive report on these services for the Deputy. 

The Government's health-led response to drug and alcohol use is set out in the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. My priorities for the strategy are to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people and to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community. In budget 2023, I secured €4 million in new development funding to expand the provision of drug and alcohol services to meet changing patterns of drug use and emerging trends. This investment will expand community-based drug and alcohol services, ensure the sustainability of residential treatment services and increase their capacity, mitigate the impact of drugs on children, families and communities, and strengthen drug monitoring and harm reduction. Full details are set out in the budget fact sheet. 

I am committed to a health-led approach to drug use, one that promotes a compassionate and humane approach to people who use drugs, with addiction treated first and foremost as a public health issue. 

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Deputy Mattie McGrath: Every town and city in the country has been plagued by drugs, but the drug crisis in my town of Clonmel, which is a fine town, has almost gone out of control over the past 18 months. This is sad. We have no mental health supports. We do not have one long-stay bed. Crack cocaine and heroin are openly available on the main street and its curtilages and unfortunate souls are seen begging, falling over, out of their minds, being physically or verbally abused and fighting among themselves. They are destroying themselves, but this is also intimidating shoppers and, therefore, has a significant knock-on effect on business in the town. 

For those who manage to make their way into rehab, there is a considerable risk of falling back into drug use, given the level of availability. Drugs are in night clubs and everywhere else. It is alarming. We do not have anywhere near enough support workers. At last week's meeting of the joint policing committee, JPC, the chief superintendent said that he wanted to see more drug support workers working in liaison in the Garda. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach and support from various sectors of society. 

Deputy Frankie Feighan: A great deal of good and necessary work is being done and I thank all of the stakeholders - the drug and alcohol task forces and everyone providing a service - in this difficult situation. We secured €7 million for new developments. Some €1 million of that will go towards strengthening the monitoring of emerging drug trends and expanding community-based services as part of the community services enhancement fund. 

Recently, I announced an allocation of €1.5 million for a three-year drug prevention and education programme. This is the first time that national funding has been made available for drug prevention. This programme is a key deliverable under the national drugs strategy to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and related harm among children and young people. A great deal of good work is being doing with schools, families and the general community. I thank all of the stakeholders for the great work that they are doing to prevent drug use as much as possible. 

Deputy Mattie McGrath: I accept that good work is being done up and down the country, but we do not have the resources. We have to try to break the cycle. It is sad when more and more young people fall back into drug use after going through rehab. The housing and drugs crises are inextricably linked. This is a well-known fact and is accepted by all who review this matter. We must try to impact schools, which are doing their best. After 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds leave school, though, they seem to be left to the mercy of the waves. 

There is a major problem. I wish I could stand up and speak about something more pleasant this morning, but the situation in Cluain Meala is appalling. It is a fine town with fine people and is the second largest inland town in the country, but we do not have the resources. The Garda does not have the resources but could not do this work alone anyway. We need support workers who are active and visible if we are to deal with this problem, get it off the streets and, above all, get these people out of their drug-taking habits and back into rehab so that they can get their lives back on track again. It is sad to see unfortunate souls on the streets who do not know where they are or what they are doing, falling over and intimidating others. It is desperate. They are all human beings and we need to look after them and provide some modicum of safety to them as well as others who share the street space with them. 

Deputy Frankie Feighan: The Government's health-led approach to drug and alcohol use is set out in the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. My priorities for the strategy are to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people and to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community. 

The Deputy has raised an issue that is impacting on many cities, towns and villages around the country. We have to strengthen drug monitoring and harm reduction measures and mitigate the impact of drugs on children, families and communities. I thank the various stakeholders across many Departments, section 39 workers and voluntary workers for their incredible work. The Deputy is right, in that there must be compassion for people who use drugs. There must be a way forward. I am blown away by the great work that is being done by communities.